a happy life

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.~Marcus Aurelius

no matter where you are, no matter how bad your situation, if you look & listen carefully, there is some positive idea within you. if you don't feel it, keep looking.

it's often easier said than done.

policy

Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.  ...Thomas Jefferson

there's so much talk about the 99% vs the 1%.  can we work together instead of perpetuating conflict?  we forget that we're all in this together.  let's reach out to make more peace and friendship.  anyone know how to make contact with the wider world?  i'm trying here and on my page https://www.facebook.com/SharingOurLight.  i'd like a bigger audience with whom to share my peace and friendship.  if our politicians would make this policy, our world would be very different.  we should use peace and friendship in our actions to make a greater change.


any ideas? 

every experience

Every experience in life, everything with which we have come in contact in life, is a chisel which has been cutting away at our life statue, molding, modifying, shaping it. We are part of all we have met. Everything we have seen, heard, felt, or thought has had its hand in molding us, shaping us.  ...Orison Swett Marden

i've been slacking...not feeling as positive this year so far.  i'm changing that, so i'm starting with a favorite quote. 

i know my life has been influenced by so many people, whether they were passers-by, acquaintances, friends, family, students, bloggers, authors, musicians, artists, doctors...too many to name.  i value each experience, good and bad, because they've made me who i am, and i think i'm pretty great [not modest].

i hope people who read my blog take something from it.  i hope you feel pretty great about yourself.  take what good you can from every experience.  let that good build your image of yourself.  just as importantly, remember that YOU influence everyone you meet!  be the good in someone else's life. 

changing thoughts

Change your thoughts and you change your world. ...Norman Vincent Peale

this quote often confounds me, but tonight it worked!  i was crying over the 15th frustrating thing to happen to me.  i stopped for a second and asked myself, 'do i want to spend my time being angry or do i want to enjoy myself?'  the tears stopped abruptly and i looked at facebook to see how my friends are.  i've stopped to write this, then i've got bills to pay before i can look for more fun.  but the anger, frustration and sadness are gone!  at least for this moment my world feels okay, and living in the moment is what keeps me going.  i hope i can change my thoughts easily every time, but i think it will take practice.

give it a try!  see what you think.  best wishes and happy holidays!

my goals

Let your light shine. Be a source of strength and courage. Share your wisdom. Radiate love.
– Wilferd Peterson

i came across this quote today and was amazed by how succinctly it describes my goals - for life, through this blog and in the book i'm beginning to write. for a moment i thought, 'this guy has said everything already. will my book be any different?' then i read again - share your wisdom. so i will continue. my wisdom is bound to be unique to me.

and you? will you let your light shine? if you haven't discovered yours yet, keep looking. i believe we all have one, whether or not we acknowledge or abide by it.

will you be a source of strength and courage? i didn't realize how strong i was until i faced life-altering struggles. i read somewhere that courage is moving forward when you're afraid. we can admit to our fears and still show strength.

will you share your wisdom? no two people have the exact same thoughts. no two people experience the same situation in the exact same way. your wisdom is as important as mine or anyone's - it's a matter of where it applies.

will you radiate love? this may be the most difficult. how do we do it? i try with my smile and using kind words. i hope that my love for people is conveyed. i intend that love for every person, in varying degrees. of course my love for family and friends is different than my love for someone i've never met. it is there nonetheless. even for criminals to an extent. they must have lacked love to do such awful things. for them i have sympathy. i hope that every person, good or bad, will see or feel love radiate from me.

so, do what you can, big or small. you do make a difference in the world!

the power to choose

The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. --J. Martin Kohe

our choices determine our destiny. choosing a job, a home, friends and life partner creates the picture our life will take.

choosing our reaction to things is even more important. our reactions color our days. if i oversleep and miss a meeting, should i grumble all day over my mistake or should i find out what i missed and get on with the day? if someone is rude to me, should i be rude back or be quick and polite and finish what needs to be done? if i'm sick, should i be miserable or admit it's a bad situation and find ways to rest and get healthy? if i'm unemployed for a long time, should i feel sorry for myself or find something i can accomplish so my time is not wasted? of course, i would choose the latter in every case. is it always an easy choice? rarely. it takes effort to stay positive when things go wrong. yet, that extra effort will determine if we have a good or bad experience.

then there are times when choices are hard. should i eat the ice cream calling me or step on the scale to remind myself why the ice cream is a bad choice? should i stay up late to watch a movie or get to sleep so i'm ready to work tomorrow? should i get drunk at happy hour or limit myself to 3 drinks and keep my wits about me? the answer may be obvious, but it's not always easy to make the best choice.

for me, the most important choice that colors my world is with which people do i choose to spend my time? at work i keep interactions short with the people i don't like. when i meet someone new, i decide to continue the acquaintance only if the person is positive. i choose to keep negative people out of my life. it's hard enough to stay positive every day without having someone discourage you. i surround myself with people who encourage my positive outlook.

i can't control everything in life, but i can control my choices to make my life the best it can be.

same and different

On a basic level we are the same. I want a happy life. You want happy life. We can communicate, we can walk together, we can make a common effort for a better world. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

there are so many differences in people in our neighborhood and around the world. different languages, religions and cultures. life would be pretty boring if we were all the same.

the dalai lama's quote is the key. in spite of all of our differences we all want a happy life. the question is: can we accept each other's differences? can we accept that you don't need to believe what i believe? i hope that we can find common ground enough to help each other achieve a happy life.